The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, August 29, 1949, Page 1

- BRITAINBY VOL. LXXIII, NO. 11,285 PLEDGE TO PRESIDENT Truman Promises Full Co- operation to Crisis-Bri- fain Nation, A.L. Meet By ERNEST B. VACCARO | PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 29—(#— President Truman pledged full American cooperation to crisis- ridden Britain today as part of a great effort by the world's free; nations to achieve lasting prosperity | and peace. In a sober summary or the inter- national economic situation, Mr.: Truman declared that a world trade “seriously out of balance” has posed proclems “which affect all of us, and in the solution of which we all have a common interest.” He promised this country’s “friendliness and helpfulness in| keeping Britain on its feet in al world suffering from the terrible | after-effects of the war” and from | Russia’s hostility to European re-{ | i covery. And he held out an offer of | “mutual concession and, coopera- tion” to the British cabinet offi- | cials who arrive in Washiryton next week for negotiations on their country’s financial crisis. “We are not looking for t.rick, solutions to deep-seated problems,” he added. ‘The President sharply disavowed | criticism in this country of Britain's| Socialist government. - “We recognize,” he declared, | “that each nation has its own po- * litical problems and that it uses different poljtical labels and dif-| ferent slogans from those we use at home” | The President spoke before the| national convention of the Ameri- can Legion, which earlier had pre-| sented him a medal for “outstand-! ing service to the nation.” ! Noiseless Popcorn Bag Produced NEW YORK, Aug. 20—(®—Movie- | goers are going to love this one. It's a new noiseless, rustle-proof | popcorn bag. Production of the bag' is announced by the Grand Bag and Paper Co. And it doesn't stop with just being quiet. { The soft, cloth-like paper is also | porous, so it can’'t be blown up and popped or filled with water for [calcony bombing raids. LANDON-SMITH WEDDING A Fairbanks couple repeated their marriage vows to Judge Gordon Gray Friday evening in the lobby of the Juneau Hotel, Mr. Thomas Franklin Landon taking Miss Olive Lucille Smith as his bride. They were attended by Mr. and Mrs. Raymond C. Hensley. The Washington| Merry - Go- Round (Copyright. 1949. by Bell Syndicate, Ine.) By ROBERT 8. ALLEN, Substi- tuting for Drew Pearson, Who Is On Annual Vacation. WASBINGTON—- President 'll*l'u-= man doesn’t know it yet, but he has another brawl on his hands to get Senate confirmation for an ap- pointee to a key defense post. The appointee is Carl Ilgenfritz, U. S. Steel Corporation vice-presi- dent, to be chairman of the Army- Navy Munitions Board. The fight over Ilgenfritz is the| battle over ex-Governor Mon Wall- gren (for chairman of the Nation- al Security Resources Board) all over again, plus some new trim- mings. The latter are Ilgenfritz's insis- tence that he be allowed to con- tinue to draw his $70,000-a-year steel pay as well as the "$14,000 that goes with the Munitionr Board job. His argument is he will lose his pension rights if he gives up his corporation salary. Strongly backing him are De- (Continued on Page Four) ! Bradford Washburn Makes | Science Museum, has been con- HE DAILY Amer. Legion Convention Is Openg_(!l‘oday Fight Aganist Communism| Said to Be Shaping Up as No. 1 Issue PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 29—(P—| The American Legion opened its! 31st annual convention today with the fight against Communism—in China, particularly shaping up as the No. 1 “issue. What to do about Communism and where and when to do it are questions that several Legion com- mittees have been wrestling with in' pre-convention sessions—mostly be- | hind closed doors. The four-day meeting is one of| the biggest in Legion history. The: 6,500 delegates and alternates rep- | resent more than 3,000,000 Legion- naires in some 17,000 posts. They'll discuss the pros and cons of some| 1,000 resolutions. DISCOVERY OF 2 UNMAPPED PEAKS | REPORTED MADE Announcemeni-Propos- es Crasson as Name FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Ang. 29. —(»—Bradford Washburn, leader of the 1947 expedition which made the first “scientific ascent” of Mt. Mc- Kinley, has announced the discov-| ery of two unnaméd, unmapped and | unclimbed peaks in the Mount Mc- Kinley area. He suggested that one of them| be named after Joe Crosson, well- known Alaska bush pilot who died June 21 in Seattle after a heart attack. Washburn, director of the Boston | ducting work here for the Office of Naval Research on loan from the museum. He has been doing ex- tensive survey work in the area| surrounding Mount McKinley. He has written the Board of Goegraphical Names in Washing-| ton, D. C., recommending that the higher of the two peaks be called Mount Crosson. The peaks, be- tween Mount. McKinley and Mount Foraker, are 12,780 feet and 12,500 feet in altitude. Crosson was one of the first widely known Alaska bush pilots; who flew mercy missions to widely scattered and isolated spots in the, northern territory. In 1935 he flew the bodies of Will Rogers and Wiley | Post from Point Barrow after they were killed in the crash of Post’s plane. Early in his flying career he was associated with Ben Eielson, “The Father of Alaskan Aviation,” and in® 1930 he helped locate Eielson’s plane and body when the latter be- came lost on a Siberian flight. In 1927 he was a pilot with the Wilkins Arctic Expedition and went with Wilkins to the Antarctic. He was one of the first airmen to cross | the treacherous Endicott Mountain range on a flight to Point Barrow. For 10 years he was Alaska Di- vision manager for Pan American Airways, resigning from the line in 1944 to move to Seattle and be- come manager of the Northwest Air Service at Boeing Field. ACS Corporal af | Wrangell Awarded For Heroic Work WRANGELL, Aug. 29.—®—Cpl. Wayne C. Munson of Cleveland, Ohio, who plunged into the icy water of the King Salmon River last year to rescue a comrade, re-| ceived the U. 8, Army Commenda- tion Ribbon Saturday. Munson is stationed here with the Alaska Communications - Sys- tem. Lt. N. H. Ahlstrom made the presentation on behalf of the Sec-| retary of the Army and the com- manding general of the Army. 1 RESULTING IN | McLaughlin and Delbert E. Metzger i were to rule whéther to halt tem- “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” JUNEAU, ALASKA, MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1949 FIRE DESTROYS MAIN PLANT OF VAUGHAN T0 BE QUIZZED SAYS MUNDT Senator Wants fo Know If Truman's Aide 'Blank Check Authority’ WASHINGTON, Aug. 29.—(P— Senator Mundt (R-SD) said today he wants to question Maj. Gen. Harry H. Vaughan closely about whether he has “a blank check of authority” at the White House. “Sometimes,” said Mundt, “it would seem that he does. But I have a pretty good idea that Pres- | ident Truman knows nothing about a lot of Vaughan's activities we have been hearing about at the five percenter investigation.” The climax of the Inquiry will come tomorrow when Vaughan, who | is Mr. Truman's military aide, 1is scheduled to take the witness stand. His name has figured in the in- vestigation of influence peddling from the start of the public hear-| ings three weeks ago. No hearing was booked for to-| day. | DOCK STRIKE LEGAL BATTLE HONCLULU, Ag. 20.—(P— The| first round in the legal battle| on Hawail’s dock seizure law came to a decision today. At the same time a new negotiation effort in the 121-day CIO longshore strike was being arranged. U. 8. District Judges J. Grant porarily the territory’s stevedoring operations. Government dock work was authorized by the seizure law. | The striking International Long- shoremen's and Warehousemen's Union contended the law was un- constitutional. The government ar-: gued the law protected the public welfare and said the union’s chal- lenge should have been through territorial, not federal, courts. Prospects for settling thé strike through any renewed union-em- ployer talks did not appear bright. ILWU President Harry Bridges said the union was ready to “en-| ter one last desperate negotianng[ attempt” here. But.he said he felt talks would produce nothing so long as the seizure law operated. The law, he asserted, put the govern- ment on the side of the employ- ers, ® & o o o o % e o 9 WEATHER REPORT (U. S. WEATHER BUREAU) (This data is for 24-hour pe- riod ending 7:30 am. PST.) In Juneau—Maximum, 70; minimum, 47. At Airport—Maximum, 68; minimum, 40. FORECAST (Juneau and Vielnity) Continued fair and warm tonight and Tuesday. Lowest temperature tonight about 45. Highest Tuesday near 3. PRECIPITATION (Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m. today In Juneau City — None; since Aug. 1, 556 inches; since July 1, 10.85 inches. At the Airport None; sipce July 1, 298 inches; since July 1, 6.95 inches. STEAMER MOVEMENTS Aleutian from Seattle due to- morrow afternoon. Princess Kathleen from Vancouv- er due tomorrow afternoon. Prince George scheduled to sail from Vancouver August 30. Princess Norah scheduled to sail from Vancouver August 31. Baranof scheduled to sail from Seattle Saturday. Princess Louise scheduled to ar- rive tomorrow morning at 7:45 oclock and sails south at 10 o'clock. | government. ‘n.shlng areas. LOBBYING GOING TO BEPROBED Army Engineers Nominat- ed ‘Number One Target’ by Rep. Sabath WASHINGTON, Aug. 29.—(®— Rep. Sabath (D-Ill) nominated the Army Engineers today as the “num- be one target” of a prospective congressional investigation of lobby- ing. The chairman of the House Rules committee predicted the House will start an inquiry soon after it gets back from vacation, even if the Senate fails to string along. “I want the investigating com- mittee to go after the Army Corps of Engineers,” Sabath said. “They influence Cougress as no other body does. “They are actually the indirect representatives of power interests. They overrode President Roosevelt when the tried to reorganize the Now when Hoover's Commission recommend reorgani- zation, they ere the first to op- pose it.” Members of Congress listen to the Engineers, Sabath said, “be- cause they can approve or disap- prove some - little project on a creek I can spit across.” Mrs. Roosevelt Knew of Aims, Youth Congress Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt said today she knew for a long time that the American Youth Congress followed the Communist line but worked with it just the same. Her purpose in doing so, she wrote in McCall's Magazine, was to change the organization’s course. The former first lady said the experience “was of infinite value to me in understanding some of the tactics I have had to grapple with in the United Nations.” SEINERS PAY $1,500 IN FISHING VIOLATION Through their attorney, H. L. Faulkner, the captain and crew of a seine boat this morning pleaded guilty to fishing August 22 in a closed area at Small Pybus Bay, on the lower end of Admiralty Island. Judge Gordon Gray fined Henry Davis, captain, $500, and each crew | member, $250. They are Albert| Davis, Harold Rose, Leonard Skeek, August Martin and Fred Mason. STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, Aug. 29.—(®—Clos- ing quotation of Alaska Juneau mine stock today is 3%, American Can 927%, Anaconda 27, Curtiss- Wright 8!, International Harvest- er 26%, Kennecott 46%, New York Central 10%, Northern Pacific 12%, U. S. Steel 22%, Pound $4.02. Sales today were 640,000 shares. Averdges today are as follows: industrials 177.71, rails 44.97, util- ities 36.59. MRS. RHODE RETURNS FROM FAMILY VISIT Unwarned in time to take care of the last minute housekeeping a “batching” husband seems to need, Clarence J. Rhode welcomed his wife and children yesterday on their return from a visit to Col-| ville, Wash. | Mrs. Rhode and the children| have visited with her mother, Mrs. | parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Rhode. | All the grandparents were espec- children, Rhode. Jack, ANDERSON ON SURVEY C. L. Anderson,, director of the| Alaska Department of Pisheries, and Lewis G. MacDonald, a fishery supervisor, have left on a three- day survey of Southeast Alaska STATEHOOD GROUP MEETS IN JUNEAU FOR FIRST SESSION With members of the Statehood Committee arriving singly and in groups for a week now, the last group was expected to reach Ju- neau on flights from the north, west and south shortly before the first session at 3 o'clock this after- noon Rep. Warren A. Taylor of Fair- banks has been here for a week, while Judge Anthony J. Dimond, with Mrs. Dimond, and Sen. How- ard Lyng arrived Saturday. Delegate E. L. (Bob) Bartlett flew in from Washington, D.C., yesterday, and Rep. Percy Ipalok arrived from the other direction. (His home is at Cape Prince of Wales.) Ipalook conferred this morning with Gov. Ernest Gruen- ing and several department heads on a problem concerning Kotzebue. | Sen. Andrew Nerland of Fair- banks, who had sent his regrets, now was expected on today’s flight, and Lee Bettinger of Kodiak, who had hoped to be here, found he could not make it. Neither can Sen. Frank Peratrovich, whose general mercantile store at Klawock is too busy a place in the fishing season— besides he is short of help. Due from the westward today were Sen. Victor C. Rivers, Rep. Stanley McCutcheon and Publisher Rc:ert Atwood of Anchorage, while Putlisher William L. Baker of Ket-| the from member, chikan was south. The expected remaining Mrs. Mildred Hermann, is a resi-| dent of Juneau. Today'’s session opened the first meeting of the committee appointed by Governor Gruening and con- firmed by the Legislature the last day of the 1949 session, March 24. The first meeting this afternoon was closed to press representatives. However, the committee has chos- en a secretary, who,will release in- formation about the first meeting of the committee in time for to- morrow’s edition. of The Empire. HURRICANE IS BLOWING ITSELF OUT Millions of I)glla;s Dam-| age Estimated, Result Preliminary Survey CHARLOTTE, N.C, Aug. 20—® —The big hurricane was blowingi itself out today. H It turned back to the northeast; in North Carolina and Southern Virginia in a dying effort to re- turn to the Atlantic ocean where it was spawned a week ago. | The howling monster which rip- ped into Florida’s gold coast on the | east side Friday, cutting a multi- million dollar damage swath, was! described (ty weathermen as just an- other heavy windstorm today. Cne life was lost in Florida and one in Georgia. A preliminary survey brought damage estimates varying from $40,000,000 to $50,000,000. The New York metropolitan area | was battered briefly by 70-mile-an- hour winds today as the hurricane flicked north. The wind soon sub- sided. MASTER PLAN IS BEING DEVELOPED, BRITAIN'S CRISIS (By the Associated Press) | Britain'’s Labor Cabinet met to- day to put the finishing touches on| Howard Burcham, ang Mr. Rhode's | its master plan for dealing with; the country’s dollar crisis. ‘When finally revised by the cabi- | ially delighted to see their grand- |net, the plan is intended to serve Jim and Sally!as a work sheet for the British|eral services for Charles D. Hilles, delegation at the British-Canadian- American dollar conference start- ing in Washington Sept. 7. FIFER IN PORT The Fifer, pleasure cruiser of Vancouver, arrived in port over the weekend and is tied up at the old l ferry slip. | violently Nationalist MEMBER A ALASKA EMPIRE SSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS CAPITALS OF WORLD ON WATCH pute Grows Infense- Stalin Losing Grip (By The Associated Press) The Russian-Yugoslav dispute was being closely watched in the capital of the world. According to information reach- ing Washington, Prime Minister Stalin’s grip on Russia’s Commun- ist satellite states has been sharp- Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia. mic difficulties and large groups of their people are discontented. | Some political factions in those countries are said to be attracted | by Tito's success in defying Mos- | cow. Russians announced ECHA, the | economic organization of Europe's | Communist nations, met in Sofia, Bulgaria, last week. Tito was expelled from the Com- inform (Communist International | Information Bureau) more than a year ago for engaging in what Mos- cow regarded as nationalistic devi- | ations from orthodox Communism. Since then other Communist na- | tions have engaged in an economic koycott of Yugoslavia. Today Belgrade, Tito’s capital, was swept by a flood of rumors about moves and countermoves in the increasingly heated war of words between Russia and Yugo- slavia. The rumors were denied by | Yugoslav government spokesmen. 1 One spokesman described as only a rumor a report that three Soviet | mechanized divisions have entered Hungary from Rumania and are be- | lieved near the Yugoslav frontier. BERLIN, Aug. 29.—(®—Western lin received fresh reports today that Soviet Russia will attempt to liquidate Premier Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia within six months. They said these reports, which have circulated among Germans friendly with Soviet officialdom in Eastern Germany, stressed that Ti- | to’s assassination or a Russian- | insspired internal revolt are the most likely prospects. The reports cast doubt on spec- ulation that Moscow would lead Soviet sattelites in southeastern Eu- rope in a direct military attack again Yugoslavia. COMMUNISTS MAKE | | i REVOLT IN BOLIVIA (By The Associated Press) { Chinese Communists drove to positions 170 miles north of Can- ton, refugee capital of the Na- | tlonalist régime. The Red thrust | cheng. . A revolt which broke out in Bolivia Saturday still was in pro- gress today. Rebels at Cochabam- ba defied government bombs and loyal troops marching against them and called on the rest of the pop- ulation to help them. The uprising was engineered by elements of both the army and the civil pop- ulation. The middle-of-the-road government of Acting .President Mamerto Urriolagoitia said the outlawed MNR (National Revolu- tionary Movement) sparked the up- rising. Charles D. Hilles Dies, Sp_e_gnl( Home NEW YORK, Aug. 20—(M—Fun- 82, one-time Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Republican Na- day, will be held here Wednesday. Hilles, who came from an Ohio | farm and rose to prominence in the !ndm\nlstnuon of President Wil- | liam Howard Taft, died at his sum- mer home at _Speonk, N.Y. Russian - Y@slavia Dis- | ly shaken by his row with Premier | The satellite countries are re- ported to have encountered econo- PLAN LIQUIDATION OF TITO | | Allied Intelligence officers in Ber- | ADVANCE IN CHINA; carried to the outskirts of Ju-| tional Chairman who died Satur-| Blaze Sweeps Sawmill Early Fire of unkrown orizin swept through the planer plant and saw- mill of the Juneau Spruce Corpor- ation early today. The blaze was discovered at 12:25 a. m. By the time it was broughi | under control two hours later, the planer plant and sawmill, and the fuel bin for the mill's power plant cn the east side of South Frank- lin Street were destroyed. The dry kiln was partially des- troyed, and the power plant was damaged when flames fleaped South Franklin Street. 2 Stockpiles of lumber at both ends of the plant were saved. Lumber loss in the mill, plancr plant and dry kiln was estimated at less than 100,000 board feet. The fire resulted in a four-alarm call, which also brought the Doug- las Fire Departmen equipment rushing to the blaze. Several thousands of dollars had been spent remodeling the plant, It resumed operation May 13, after a shutdown due to labor difficulties. Freeman Shultz, manager of the Juneau Spruce Corporation, was in Portland at the time of the fire Company officials informed him of the fire early this morning. He is reported meeting with the Board of Directors of the Coos Bay Lumber Company, who control the Juneau mill. s Juneau Sruce Corporation offi- cials would make nd estimate cf the | damage, but admitted it was partly |covered by insurance. Juneau and Douglas fire-fighters ‘Were joined by U. S. Army Corps of Engineers' fire-fighters and equipment. Juneau townsmen joined the fire- fighters in hauling hose lines to the inferno. Before the first fire call had died out, a cloud of flames broke through the roof of the mill. Heat Intense Heat from the blaze was so in- tense two and one-inch streams of water became steam as they reach- ed the blaze, firemen said. Metal roofing melted, and trees were seared 100 yards from the flame. A plume of fire over 100 feet high lit the sky and was visible more than eight miles. Lack of wind kept the sparks flying straight up as high has 500 feet. - At 12:30 am., flames _crossed South Franklin Street and set the | fuel bin beside the power plant | ablaze. A short time later sawdust conveyers from the planer plant to| the power plant fell across the | street, breaking telephone and pow- | er lines. A police line kept crowds away from the danger of the broken lines. Salvation Army men faced the flames to take coffee to the tired fire-fighters. Attack From Waterfront The Alaska Juneau Gold Mining | Company’s tug Trojan valiantly battled the fire from the wharf- side. . The Coast Guard Cutters Citrus, commanded by Lt. Com. Ralph Burns, and Storis, commanded by JSC hrough Planer, Morning Hour; Four-Alarm Fire Call Sou@e_d would probably be repaired tomor- row. An accurate estimate of damage will not be available until insurance company investigations have been made, Juneau Spruce Corporation spokesmen said today. They said only part of the U. 8. Army order for 2,800,000 board of lumber had been filled. No plans for re-building the mill have been discussed. Local branch of the IWA-CIO, the union ‘to which Juneau mill workers belong, has scheduled a meeting for all members for to- morrow at 7:30 p. m. in the CIO hall. The labor force of 130 men face unemployment because of the fire. Damage Caused Damage has been estimated at $600,000. Cause of the fire is unknown. However, a Juneau Spruce Cor- poration spokesman said today the blaze evidently started under the “green chain” over which finish- ed lumber is taken from tic plan- v to be stacked. Freeman Shultz, manager of the Juneau Spruce Corporation’s mill, was in Seattle today after con- ferring with Coos Bay Lumber Co. board of directors in Portland. . BIG PLANE ISDOWNIN EMERGENCY Pilot Lands Airliner Safe- ly with 49 Aboard-Ran Into- Rough Storm YOUNGSTOWN, O, Aug. 29—(® ~ A Northwest Airlines plane carrying 46 passengers and three crewmen made a safe emergency landing here in a drizzle before dawn today. Two passengers were injured slightly, and there was little, if any, damage to the plane, The four-engine DC-4, which left LaGuardia Field in New York at 11:55 p.m. (EST) enroute to Seattle, ran into rough weather near Allen- town, Pa., and radioed ahead to Youngstown Municipal Airport to arrange for an - emergency land- ing. The scheduled flight, No. 501, called for the first stop at Detroit. Three fire companies from Youngstown and two from Warren, along with the field’s crash equip- ment crew stood Ly while the big | liner came in for a landing at 2:15 am, (EST). The airliner pilot, Alan Ackerson of Hazlet, NJ., said his plane ran Into “one of the roughest storms I have ever been in.” Ackers has been an airlines pilot for seven years. He said he flew by instruments for Com. John R. Kurcheski, went| alonside the pier. Men and equip- | ment from both vessels landed on the wharf and poured sea-water pushed by the ships’ pumps, into! the flames. | Crowds blocked South Franklin Street’s sidewalks and flowed onto| the streets. Watching citizens hung from open windows of ' apartment | houses and dwellings in the area. | A line of spectators formed on} the Alaska Juneau Mine tailings! above the fire. | Although the full force of Ju-| neu fire-fighters, aided by towns-| men volunteers, Army and Douglas | firemen, and ships kept flames, from spreading to the stockpiles o(i lumber, Minard Mill, Juneau fiire chief, said the planer plant and sawmill was a total loss. | None of the fire-fighters were| seriously injured. i Today firemen were playing sev- | eral streams of water on the still-| smouldering ruins. | Lines Go Down | Alaska Electric Light and Pow- er Company officials said powerl lines were destroyed close to the| blaze. Workmen succeeded in get- | ting power to the KINY transmit- | ter this morning. Telephone cables were burned out, and telephone spokesmen said they ) the last part of the flight. Ackerson said there was no signs of damage to the plane, but that it would remain grounded here to- day for a thorough checking and arrangements would be made for passengers to continpe their jour- ney by other means. CONTEST LETTERS WILL BE JUDGED TOMORROW NIGHT The Empire Statehood Contest is over. Letters, for and against imme- diate statehood, are in The Empire office. § Contest judges Ernie Parsons, Lottie Spickett, Bert McDowell and Elmer A. Friend will open them to- morrow night and choose the two which win the two $25 prizes. The contest, announced last Wed- nesday, drew a number of entries. Purpose of the contest was to make profitable the expression of opinions for and against immedi~ ate statehood for Empire readers. Letters, depending on their suit- ability, will be published in the Empire when the judging has been completed.